Rosé: It's not just for summer anymore

Jon Bonné Lifestyle editor • Profile

Sometimes it seems like rosés just can’t win for trying.

Ever since white zinfandel came along in 1975 to ruin the party, pink wines have been cowering below the radar of the average drinker.

It's not as bad as it used to be — thanks in part to winemakers’ tireless attempts to explain the vast difference between true rosé and bargain-rate blush wines — but rosé largely retains its sideshow status.  It rarely merits more than a couple mentions per year in wine columns and newsletters, and those frequently tend to be in June or July. (The recurrent theme: Great summer wine, try it, love it.)

Yet the term “rosé” embraces as broad a spectrum of wines as does “white” or “red.” Most of us simply ignore that fact. As Jeff Morgan, author of “Rosé: A Guide to the World’s Most Versatile Wine” (Chronicle Books, $19.95) laments: “Rosé is simply a category of wine, not a style of wine.”

Wine types are as guilty as anyone — myself included. The summer rosé tasting is a venerable wine-writer tradition, pitting rosé against rosé regardless of style or origin.

The time has come to make amends. Let’s clear up a few things:

(1) A rosé is not a rosé is not a rosé. Let’s begin with some near-universal truths about rosé. Rosé doesn't have to be sweet, though a few contain a bit of leftover sugar. It is not a blend of red and white wines; rather, it's made with red grapes treated as though they were being made into white wine.

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While red-wine juice sits on crushed grape skins for days, gaining color and depth, most winemakers drain rosé juice after just a few hours. Others use a method called saignée: They drain some pink juice from a vat of newly crushed red grapes; it concentrates the remaining red juice, and the drained juice becomes rosé.

Rosé has been made from nearly every red wine grape in the world — from syrah to sangiovese — and in nearly every wine locale. In Spain’s scorching Calatayud region, hearty red grapes like garnacha and tempranillo are pressed into deep, fruity rosado. In Napa and Australia, rosés often exhibit the regions’ hefty alcohol levels and winemaking styles. In Oregon, and even occasionally in Germany, delicate pink wines are crafted from pinot noir.

The result is a stunningly diverse array of styles and flavors. “Don’t drink one rose and think you know it all,” says Morgan.

Morgan should know: He and co-owner Daniel Moore run SoloRosa winery in St. Helena, Calif., which claims credit for being the only U.S. winery specifically devoted to rosé.

(2) Rosé is not a simple wine. Rosé's minor coup in grabbing market share from blush wine came with a dark lining: The pink-wine fear factor was erased by framing it as simple and unthreatening.

But if some rosés are indeed simple, made to quench thirst on an asphalt-melting day, others are painstakingly crafted. They frequently justify their higher price tags — though some popular labels, including several from French appellations like Bandol, have become overexposed and overpriced.

Some are fermented in stainless-steel tanks, in the style of a simple white wine. Some are produced in used oak barrels, which add layers of flavor, help soften the wine in your mouth and smooth the texture. A handful of winemakers combine the two methods.

If the color seems too, well, girly for you: Get over it.  There's plenty of broad-shouldered Italians, Frenchmen and Spaniards who'd be happy to set you straight.

(3) Rosé isn’t just summer wine. With Labor Day approaching, let’s take a moment to repair a major misconception: Rosé can be a valuable match for food throughout the year.  Leave it to the uptight white-pants-and-Memorial-Day crowd to say otherwise.

True, a glass of cool pink doesn’t quite match a warm winter fireside nap. But refreshing wines have their place even when the chill arrives. (Thanksgiving, anyone?) A thorough exploration of the rosé universe reveals plenty of wines with depth and body to match a blustery autumn day. Which brings us to our next point …

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